Valve mechanism for engines



F. CORMIER VALVE MECHANISM FOR ENGINES Filed March 9, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l Attorneys 1939- F. CORMIER VALVE MECHANISM FOR ENGINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 9, 1938 Inventor Farmer ('arnz er "ii". I

4 A i torneqs Patented Dec. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES- 2,181,872 VALVE MECHANISM FOR ENGINES Farrier Cormier, Welsh, La., assignor of one-third to Ovillian Matt and one-third to Ada Cormier, both of Welsh, La., and one-third to Theobert Cormier, Jefierson Davis Parish, La.

Application March 9, 1938, Serial No. 194,969

This invention relates to value mechanism. for

engines actuated by compressible fluid, such as steam, the general object of the invention beingto provide means for controlling the entrance of the fluid to a cylinder of the engine at one side of the piston thereof and for relieving compression at the opposite side of the piston after the piston passes exhaust, such means acting to retain a sufficient amount of the fluid in the cylinder to act as a cushion at the end of the stroke of the piston. Thus the valve mechanism serves the double purpose of controlling the inlet of the fluid to the cylinder to move the piston in one direction and to relieve compression at the other side of the piston.

Another object of the invention is toso construct and arrange the parts that the invention will be very compact and inexpensive to manufacture and install and maintain in operated position. I

A further object of the invention is to provide simple means for manually adjusting the parts to reverse the engine.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein'like charactersdenote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is-a topplan view of anengine provided withthe improved valve mechanism.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view through such engine with the crank shaft end thereof omitted.

. Figure 3 is a fragmentary view looking into the valve chest of the engine with the cover plate of the chest removed. t

Figure 415 a view of the inner face of the valve chest cover.

Figure 5is a view of the outer face of the rotary valve member. 1.

Figure 6 is a section on the line 66 of Figure 5.

Figure'l is a perspective view of the stationary valve disk, with the tubes attached theretof Figure 8 is a section on the line 88 of Figure 2.

' Figure 9 is a perspective view of the outer portion of the shaft which is connected with the rotary valve member.

Figure 1G, is'a perspective View of a portion of -;the' shaft which fitsinthe tubular part ofethez.

valve shaft and which carries the cranks for the valve operating links.

In these drawings, the numeral I indicates a block which is bored longitudinally to form the cylinder 2 which is closed at one end by the cover 3 and said block is also bored at right angles to the cylinder to form the valve chest 4 which terminates short of the cylinder to leave the wall 5 which is provided with the oppositely arranged 1 v and diametrically located elongatedslots 6, each of which tapers from its outer end to, its inner end, these slots communicating the chest with the cylinder'through means of the passages 1 which open out into the cylinder at the ends thereof as shown in Figure 2. A piston 8 is located in the cylinder and the rod 9 thereof passes through a hole in the closed end of the cylinder and through the packing gland Ill carried by said closed end, the rod being connected at its outer end with the cross head if sliding in the guides i2 carried by the block and said cross head is connected by the pitman [2' with the crank of a shaft It. The shaft is journaled in the frame l4, preferably cast with the block. Said shaft carries the usual flywheel l5 and the crank means it for the valve actuating links I1.

An exhaust port 18, having a widened inner end 18. is formed in the bottom of the cylinder substantially midway the ends thereof and an exhaust pipe it leads from said port.

The'rotary valve disk is shown at 20 and its inner face has a ground fit, with the bottom wall 5 of the chest 4 and said disk has a stud shaft 2! projecting from its inner face which extends into a bearing opening 22 in the wall 5 at the center of said wall. A'shaft 23 extends from the center of the outer face of the disk Eli and has a socket24 therein and a segmental projection 25 is formed on the outer end of the shaft 23, see Figure 9. The shaft 23 passes through an opening Et fo'rmed in a boss 21 on the-inner face of a cover plate 28 for the chest, the plate being connected to the block by-the bolts 29 and said shaft passes through a packing gland 30 carried by the plate 28.

The disk 28 is provided with the arcuate slot 3| therein and with the smaller arcuate slot 32, the slot 32 being made of less width and of less length than the slot SI and being placed closer to the axis of the disk than is the slot 3!. The slot 3| will pass over the enlarged outer ends of the slots 6 in the inner Wall of the valve chest during rotary movement of the disk 20 while the slot 32 will pass over the smaller inner ends of said slots 6 during this rotary movement. A

groove 33 is formed in the outer face of the disk 20 and forms a continuation of the slot 3|,this groove being provided for balancing the disk.

A stationary valve disk 34 has a central hole 35 therein through which the inner end of the shaft 23 passes and a spring 36 holds the disk 34 against the central portion of the disk .20, said disk 34' through said disk, see Figure A pair of tubes. 39 project inwardly from the cover plate 28 and communicate with holes 43 formed in said cover plate and thesetubes 39 telescope into the tubes 37 and pass through packing glands H as shown in Figure 8. The tubes 3'1 are so arranged that they will communicate with the small slot 32 in the revolving disk 25 during the rotary movement of said disk.

A bracket 42 is carried by the cover plate and the outer portion thereof forms a bearing for the outer end of a shaft 43, the inner end of which is 7 reduced as shown at 33 and has a rotatable fit in the tubular outer portion of the shaft 23. shaft 33 carries the cranks M for the links H and a projection 45 extends from the inner end of the large part of the shaft 43 for cooperatingwith the projection 25 on the shaft 23 so that rotary movement of the shaft 43 will be communicated to the shaft 23 when the projections are in engagement with each other. A hand wheel 33 is connected to the outer end of the shaft 23 for partly turning the shaft 23 and the valve 29 when it is desired to reverse the engine and it will, of course, be understood that the projections 25 and 45 enable this reversing operation to be performed. As will be seen as the shaft 43 is being turned from the engine crankshaft i 3 through means of the cranks i 5 links I? and cranks M the shaft 23 of the valve disk 23 will also be turned due to the engagement of the projection 45 on shaft 33 with the projection 25 on shaft 23 and the parts are so con-f structedand arranged that the engine will run in one direction when the hand wheel 46 has been turned to place the shaft 23 and the disk 20 in one position. engine the shaft 23 is turned by the hand wheel 46 to give the disk 25 a half turn to reverse its position relative to the slots or ports 6 so that the engine is reversed, this partial turning movement of the shaft 23 bringing the projection 25 into engagement with the opposite side of the projection 45. T

An inlet pipe 41 extends from a source of supply of steam or the like to the chest and this pipe contains any suitable type of control valve 48.

As will be seen the steam or other fluid will enter the chest ithrough the pipelil and when the parts are in the position shown in Figure 2 some of the steam will pass through the slot3l in the rotary valve disk 25, through the left slot6 and passage 1 into the left end of the cylinder 2 so as to move the piston 8 to the right. The fluid previously introduced into the right end of the cylinder will escape through the exhaust porti8 until said port is covered by the piston. Then 1 further movement of the piston tends to compress the fluid in the right end of the cylinder but this.

compressionis relieved as- ,oneof the, tubes 31 is in Thev Then when it is desired to reverse the communication with said end of the cylinder through the right hand passage 1, the right port 6 and the small slot 32 of the valve 20 and thus the fluid will pass through these parts and through the tube 39 and escape through the hole 40 in the cover plate 28. However, the tube 31 and the small slot 32 are so constructed and arranged that the slot 32 will pass out of register with the tube 31 before the piston reaches the end of its stroke to the right and thus some of the fluid will remain in the cylinder to act as a cushion for" a the last-part of the movement of the piston. Then the large port 3! in the rotary disk 20 will come over the 'right'hand slot 6 so that the fluid will pass from the valve chest through the slot 3| and slot 6 and right hand passage 1 into the rightend of the cylinder 2 to force the piston 8 in the opposite direction and then the pressure in the left end of the cylinder will be relieved by the small slot 32 in the disk 23 coming into register with the other tube 3? of the disk 34'.

'It will, of course, be understood that the valve mechanism is operated from the'shaft l3 through means 'of the cranks l6, links H and the cranks 44 and these parts may be of any suitable construction. I prefer to use a pair of links I 1 and sets of cranks i3 and 34 for by doing so the links I! and cranks M will pull each-other'o'ffof dead center.

It will-also be understood that when it is desired to reverse the engine it is simply necessary to turn the wheel 36' to rotate the shaft 23 a distance to bring the slot 3| in disk 23 opposite the other port iiso that the fluid will be fed to theopposite end of the cylinder 2.

As will be seen the valve mechanism acts as a two-in-one valve means as it controls the flow of steam or otherfluid to the ends of the cylinder and also acts'to relieve compression in that end of the cylinder toward which the piston is advancing but such relieving action permits sufficient fluid to stay in the cylinder to act as a cushion for the piston; g

It is thought from the foregoing description that th'e'advantages' and novel features of the invention" will be readily apparent.

It-is to be understood that changes maybe made' in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of theseveral parts, provided thatv such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimedv as new is:

- 1. In an engine actuated by compressible fluid andincluding a cylinder, a piston operating in the cylinder'and said cylinder having a substantially centrally arranged outlet'port and conduits leading from the ends of the cylinder, a valve chest, means for introducing fluid thereinto, said chest having oppositely arranged elongated ports therein for communicating the chest with the conduits, "a rotary disk in the chest having an outer elongated arcuate slot therein for uncovering portions of the-ports of -the chestduring the rotary movement of the disk, said disk having an inner arcuate slot therein for uncovering the inner portions of these ports during the rotary movementof the disk, a stationary disk of smallerv diameter than the first disk and-contacting the portion thereof containing the inner slot, oppositely arranged tubular parts carried by the sta-.

tionary disk and being alternately placed in .com-

2. In an engine actuated by compressible fluid and including a cylinder, a piston operating in the cylinder and said cylinder having a substantially centrally arranged outlet port and conduits leading from the ends of the cylinder, a valve chest, means for introducing fluid thereinto, said .chest having oppositely arranged elongated ports therein for communicating the chest with the conduits, a rotary disk in the chest having an outer elongated arcuate slot therein for uncovering portions of the ports of the chest during the rotary movement of the disk, said disk having an inner arcuate slot therein for uncovering the inner portions of these ports during the rotary movement of the disk, a stationary disk of smaller diameter than the first disk and contacting the portion thereof containing the inner slot, oppositely arranged tubular parts carried by the stationary disk and being alternately placed in communication with the chest ports by the inner slot of the rotary disk, means for connecting the tubular parts with the exterior of the chest, means for rotating the rotary disk, and means for adjusting the rotary disk to reverse the engine.

3. In an engine which includes a cylinder having a substantially centrally arranged exhaust port, conduits leading from the ends of the cylinder and a piston in the cylinder, a valve chest having elongated oppositely arranged ports therein communicating the chest with the conduits, each port tapering inwardly from a wide outer end, a rotary disk in the chest having an outer arcuate-shaped slot therein for uncovering the wide ends of the ports during the rotary movement of the disk and a smaller inner arcuate slot therein for uncovering the inner ends of the ports during rotary movement of the disk, a shaft connected with the disk and passing from the chest, a stationary disk of smaller diameter than the rotary disk, spring means for pressing the stationary disk against the rotary disk, said small disk covering that part of the rotary disk containing the inner slot while leaving that part of the disk containing the large slot uncovered,

a pair of tubular parts carried by the stationary 4. In an engine which includes a cylinder having a substantially centrally arranged exhaust port, conduits leading from the ends of the c'ylinder and a piston in the cylinder, a valve chest having elongated oppositely arranged ports therein, each port tapering inwardly from a Wide outer end, a rotary disk in the chest having an outer arcuate-shaped slot therein for uncovering the wide ends of the ports during the rotary movement of the disk and a smaller inner arcuate slot therein for uncovering the inner ends of the ports during rotary movement of the disk, a shaft connected with the disk and passing from the chest, a stationary disk of smaller diameter than the rotary disk, spring means for pressing the stationary disk against the rotary disk, said small disk covering that part of the rotary disk containing the inner slot while leaving that part of the disk containing the large slot uncovered, a pair of tubular parts carried by the stationary disk and having their inner ends uncovered by the inner slot during rotary movement of the rotary disk, telescopic means engaging the tubular parts and leading to the exterior of the chest and means for rotating the shaft connected with the rotary disk, said means including a shaft telescoping into the shaft of the rotary disk, projections on the two shafts engaging each other when the disk shaft is being rotated from the other shaft while permitting the disk shaft to be adjusted to reverse the movement of the engine, manually operated means for adjusting the disk shaft relative to the second shaft and means for rotating said second shaft from the engine. FARRIER CORMIER. 

